Ponopono
by TheDogo
Summary: Without thinking twice about it, he'd tapped on her name to listen to her message. What he'd heard almost dropped him to his knees.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

**_Authors Note:_**_ Birthday fic for Jlopie! I cannot **believe** you wanted another one! Greedy, greedy, Rancher Woman! Heartfelt thank you to praemonitus praemunitus and Wenwalke for the beta. So appreciate that you put up with this craziness. _

**_Ponopono_**_ – To put to rights._

_As Always … Enjoy!_

**Chapter 1**

"Hello?"

"Hey Monkey, how are you? You alright? I love you, very much."

"Danno, where are you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course I'm okay. I'm always okay, huh. How are you, I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy. But … when are you coming home?"

"I'm gonna come home very soon, Monkey, I promise, I'm coming home right away, I love you …

There was a click and then silence.

"Danno … Danno, are you there?"

"Danno?"

"DADDY!"

Grace took the phone away from her ear, cupping it in both hands to look at the screen. The display had gone gray, the circular icons fading out to the white of her keypad. She stared at the numbers, unable to move, until the splat of a tear upon the face plate made her blink, and then blink again. She held the phone further away from her, waiting. If she lingered long enough, maybe it would ring again. Then she could hear his voice, know that he was okay and be able to tell him that she loved him …

The hair on the back of her neck and forearms lifted, goosebumps running along her flesh.

"No …"

_"That's the last time …_" She shook her head, kicking her legs over the side of the bed and let them dangle there.

"No, Uncle Steve said …" she argued with herself.

_"Danno's not coming back …"_

The screen on her phone went black. Her eyes widened.

"NO!" She argued again. "He said he'd bring Danno …"

Grace's lips trembled as she pulled the phone closer, wiping the back of her hand underneath her nose to keep it from running. With a slight push off the bed, she started pacing, her finger hovering over the home button. Just a push and a swipe, and then she could contact Uncle Steve. Tell him that Danno had called. That he'd said he was okay and told her that he loved her. That …

_"He said goodbye."_

"NO!"

She pushed the button, but the phone slipped through her fingers and bounced from the rug onto the hardwood, tumbling until it came to a stop. A sob escaped as her knees hit the floor. She crawled towards the cell to pick it back up. More tears dribbled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. This time, she clenched the sides of the phone as if it were a lifeline.

She slid her finger across the screen, tapped on 'phone' and then 'favorites' before she hesitated at the picture of her uncle.

_"Please answer." _

She touched his name and then waited, the phone pressed hard against her ear.

"Commander Steve McGarrett from Five-0. Leave a message. I'll get back to you."

Grace never heard the connection beep into voicemail.

"No … no, No, NO!" Her head shook from side to side as she pushed off her knees and then stumbled towards the bedroom door. She kept the phone cradled to her ear as she flung the door open.

"MOM!"

Although she called out to her mother, her attention was still on communicating what she needed from her uncle.

"He _has_ to come back … you _said_ he would … you promised and he said he loves me …"

"MOM!"

Her yell echoed down the hallway.

"Grace?"

Rachel's voice answered.

Grace's bare feet slapped against the cold floor boards as she staggered towards the kitchen. She'd barely stopped in front of her mother at the counter before she thrust the cell into her face. Her mom tried to sidestep around the phone, but Grace kept shoving it back at her.

"Tell him! Tell him … he has to bring Danno home! He has to …"

She was barely getting the words out.

"What?"

Her mother stared blankly back at her, but was finally able to grab at Grace's wrist.

"Uncle Steve promised … then Danno called … to say GOODBYE!"

It was Rachel's turn to look shell shocked, until Grace broke her mom's grip, grabbed her mom's hand and slapped the cell into it. She pushed the phone back at her.

"TELL HIM!"

Grace's scream made her mother jump. Rachel was still holding the device away from her body, not quite up to her ear, her other arm reaching out towards Grace, palm extended.

"TELL HIM!"

She batted away her mom's hand before her world unexpectedly tilted, her knees gave out and she collapsed to the floor, sobbing hysterically.

H50

"Hold up, son," Joe murmured. His fingers latched onto Steve's sleeve, stopping him from pacing as the silhouette of two guards dragging something, no, someone, came into view.

"That's got to be …" Steve squinted into the shadows.

_"Fuck." _

"Danny …" He wrenched his shoulder out of Joe's grasp, inching forward until his hands were placed on the wrought iron gates. If that was Danny that the guards were manhandling ….

"Jesus, Danno, what did they …"

He couldn't complete his thought. Because that _was_ Danny. And even though his eyes told him so, he still couldn't wrap his brain around the fact that his partner wasn't walking out of this hellhole and was being scraped across the concrete, arms still handcuffed behind him. Both guards held Danny by his biceps, his shoulders probably ready to dislocate as his head swung inches above the ground. And just about the time Steve thought his mind had caught up with the images, the fuckers dropped him. Dropped their prisoner and stood staring, not at Danny, but at Steve, daring him to protest.

But he didn't. He couldn't.

All he could do was press against the rusted iron gates harder, his knuckles turning white from the force against them, until the electronic lock on the double gates popped. The sound was familiar and Steve didn't hesitate—not a second—though he saw the guards draw on him as he sprinted towards his partner.

He didn't care. He knew Joe was hot on his heels, screaming out … something. And whatever the man said had worked. The guards stepped back when he dropped to his knees beside Danny. Stepped back further when he glared at them and held out his hand for the cuff keys before Joe intervened again.

"I got 'em."

So Steve concentrated on his partner. His best friend who had yet to move … not even an inch.

"Come on Danno." Steve bent over, his chest collapsed against his thighs, both hands pushing against the heat of the concrete as he peered into his friends bloodied face. Christ, he was afraid to touch him.

"Here, son." Joe held out the ring of keys, one of them pinched between his thumb and his forefinger.

Once Steve had straightened from his crouch and accepted the key, he tried to be gentle while removing the restraints. But he was furious that Danny had been cuffed and leg ironed to begin with. It was obvious they'd beaten the snot out of his partner for fucks sake. It wasn't like he was going to make a run for it.

Joe had returned to facing off with the guards and had a brief conversation, which Steve ignored, before he turned back towards him.

"They said we're free to go."

If Steve didn't already have his hands full of a bloodied and bruised Danny, he would've scoffed at the permission given and told them where to shove it. Instead he chucked the restraints towards one of the guards, forcing the man backwards to avoid the collision of heavy chains against his shins.

"Steve …" Joe bent down, his warning unmistakable. The man's hand reached out towards his partner, about to settle on Danny's shoulder.

"Don't touch him."

"Steve …"

"No, I said don't touch him, Joe. Just … I've got him."

When Steve went to gather Danny up in his arms, his partner whimpered, actually fucking whimpered and shied away from the contact.

"Jesus … sorry, Danno." Steve's voice cracked. He'd no idea how or where to touch his friend without causing pain. "I've got to get you out of here, buddy. Just hold on …"

So he ignored the sounds coming from his partner before he was finally able to cradle Danny against his chest in a one person lift. One of Danny's arms flopped to the side, dangling, after he'd gotten him settled. Joe had gone to lift it back up, but hesitated, looking at Steve for permission.

"Yeah, just place it back up here on his lap."

Steve shifted his partner in his arms again, making sure that Danny's head was tucked underneath his chin. He knew his partner was somewhat lucid, but his eyelids never opened, and Steve didn't push him. Instead he continued to whisper encouragements, glaring at anyone and everyone, including Joe. Once he'd finally gotten Danny settled, he started moving towards the exit, ignoring the guards. He nodded at Joe to go ahead of them, make sure the gates were opened so they could get through.

Steve was scowling, his brow furrowed as he strode out of the prison. As much as he tried to be gentle, Danny still groaned when he was jarred.

"Almost there, Danno. Hang on a bit longer." He hurried towards the SUV, again nodding at Joe to get the door to the backseat.

"Thanks," he growled.

Still unwilling to allow Joe to touch Danny, Steve maneuvered his partner onto his lap and scooted both of them across the seat. Once they were finally in, and Joe had closed the door, Steve twisted his torso just enough to get his friend laying down, but still kept Danny's head resting against his thigh. He needed to determine his friend's injuries, but getting the hell out of there was way more important.

Joe had jogged around the front of the SUV and clambered into the driver seat.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Joe nodded, practically peeling away from the prison as if their asses were on fire. Steve wouldn't allow himself to relax until they'd arrived at El Dorado International Airport and gotten Danny onto the military transport aircraft that they were hitching a ride on. Not knowing what shape his partner would be in once they got to him, Steve had hoped that he had enough medical knowledge to keep his friend stable. Now he wasn't so sure that would be enough.

Both of Danny's wrists were scraped raw, but it was what was underneath his partner's filthy clothes that had Steve the most worried. Just from the look of his friend's bruises and cuts across his face didn't bode well for the rest of his body.

"How is he?"

"Honestly… I don't know." Steve pressed two fingers against Danny's common carotid. "I just … I don't know," he whispered.

H50

Danny's head was still cradled within Steve's lap, his partner sprawled across several jump seats. They were squished into the furthest corner away from the stacked cargo, Steve's back resting against the bulkhead, one foot on the floor, his other leg tucked between Danny's torso and seat backs. He had no idea what to do with his hands, alternating between raking his fingers through his hair or laying them atop his friend's shoulders to steady him. Their conscripted medic had made Danny as comfortable as possible for the twelve hour flight, but nothing could keep Steve from revisiting what he'd seen. The evidence of each beat down was painted across his partner's body in black and blue. At one point, Danny had screamed during the medics exam of his ribcage before he was able to bite the sound back into muted grunts. No matter how much Steve had coached and then pleaded, his friend's face had remained pinched, his eyelids closed.

"He should be alright for the remainder of the flight, Commander. I'll check him again just before we land."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, Sir."

The medic slipped further down the row and settled in for the long haul, still within hearing range. Joe had moved closer.

"You should get some sleep, son. I'll keep an eye on Danny." Joe reached out to place a hand on his partner's leg, but at the last minute pulled back.

Steve didn't bother with an answer after the aborted gesture, just kept his eyes focused on his partner's face, trying to gage each restless twitch in case it warranted a need. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Joe scooting down a few seats so he could rest. He wondered how the man did it, pushed aside all the ugly, even when the ugly involved 'ohana. Because every time _he_ closed his eyes, not only did he see Danny's injuries, but he heard Grace's screams.

Steve shuddered.

They'd had to wait in Ortega almost fourteen hours before getting word from Kono and Lou, via sat phone, that their tête-à-tête with Anderson had been completed and the deal brokered. Waited while Frank Bama had helicoptered them to Sibate, an hour drive outside of Bogotá, before they could make their move. They'd been scrambling after that. Bama had arranged for the SUV in Sibate, which they'd dropped off at El Dorado International before flying out. It'd been during the wait in Ortega, however, that Steve had finally checked his cell.

One missed call from Grace.

Without thinking twice about it, he'd tapped on her name to listen to her message. What he'd heard almost dropped him to his knees.

_"…to say GOODBYE!"_

Grace's voice. Her words alone had made him _need_ to call her. But …

_"TELL HIM!"_

Grace's scream …

_"TELL HIM!"_

Had torn his heart out.

The lights in the cargo hold dimmed. Steve closed his eyes, throwing his head back against the bulkhead, ignoring the dampness on his face, the hitch of his breathing. But then Danny flinched, letting out a moan, so Steve leaned forward.

"Shhh, Danno. Almost home." His voice sounded like sandpaper on unpolished wood.

He pulled his partner up a bit further into his lap, cradled him in his arms, making sure not to dislodge the IV. Danny's head lay in the crook of his elbow now, his face turned more so Steve could see him. It was only then that he noticed his friend staring at him, eyelids open just a crack, but still open.

"Hey … you need anything?"

"Cold …"

"Alright, hang on." Steve cleared his throat and then reached below the cargo seat, pulling out the two blankets stashed there. The slight move forced more grunts from his partner, though.

"Sorry, buddy. Here …"

Before he covered his friend, he re-cataloged every cut and bruise and scrape and bandage, committing them—again—to his memory. Every hour that had passed made Danny look more and more like a Technicolor movie, saturated levels of color bridged together by what might as well have been super glue and duct tape.

Steve wiped his nose across his sleeve and then a hand across both cheeks, but the waterworks fucking wouldn't let up. Grace's screams kept ringing in his ears and Danno …

"Christ …" Steve growled deep within his throat, frustrated with himself. His chin dropped onto his chest as he clenched his teeth, but he was shaking now and he couldn't make it stop.

When he felt Danny's arm move, he looked up only to find his friend reaching for him. Steve grabbed at the trembling hand, weaving his fingers between his partners and then gently squeezing. Even though Danny's fingers were freezing, the intent was clear.

"…k?"

The absurdity of Danny being the one to ask that question had Steve chuckling through more snot and tears.

"Yeah, Danno, I'm good."

"Sure?"

"Yep, I'm sure."

Danny blinked, a slow drag of his lids down and then up before he could ask …

"Home?"

"Yeah. I'm taking you home, brother."

**~to be continued~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Do not own Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement intended.

**_Authors Note:_**_ Final thank you to praemonitus praemunitus and Wenwalke for the keeping the rookie in line!_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 2**

"What's wrong?" Danny was staring at him.

Steve sighed, glanced over at his partner and then back to the road.

"Nothing."

"No, that's not the right answer. Something's bothering you."

"It's nothing, Danny. Leave it alone."

Even without looking, Steve knew the man was still studying him. But how the hell do you tell your best friend, Grace's father, that you—Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett—have managed to rip out his daughter's heart and stomp all over it. Because you let her down. You broke your promise.

"Why'd you leave the hospital?"

Steve almost drove off the road.

"What?"

"You heard me. First you threaten to have Lou come and sit on me to keep me there, and then you leave. Why? Why'd you leave?"

Steve raked a hand across his forehead, through his hair and ended up clasping the back of his neck before he could answer. He'd had no idea that Danny had been aware that he'd been gone.

"I had something I needed to take care of."

"What?"

"Just … something, alright? Can't you just let it go?" Steve's hand slapped against the steering wheel. He shifted in his seat. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Danny cock his head, _still_ staring. And then his partner nodded.

"Okay."

"What?" Steve whipped his head around. Now he was the one trying to drill holes into his friend. Danny was looking out the passenger window of the truck. It was a good imitation of a brush off, but Steve wasn't buying it.

"I said, okay." Danny shrugged his shoulders and kept watching the scenery as they got closer to Rachel's.

Steve fidgeted even more, frowning as he turned to look back at the road.

"Good … fine …"

H50

Steve had left his partner with his arms firmly wrapped around Grace. Danny had agreed to call him when he was ready to leave, which wouldn't likely be for a while. So he'd headed back home, hopefully to get in a swim and, maybe, clean up the house. Swim first, house later, he'd decided upon walking in the door.

As he pulled through the water, his conversation with Grace, while Danny was still in the hospital, kept time with his strokes.

_"She's in her bedroom. She's refusing to speak with anyone."_ Rachel had let him in, a scowl turning down the corners of her lips, though her eyes gave away her true emotions.

Steve had nodded towards the hallway, his request for permission clearly written all over his face.

_"Yes, of course. Go ahead. I'll be in the kitchen if you or Grace need me. Maybe get her to go outside if you can."_

Rachel had hesitated, as if she was afraid to ask the question.

_"I take it he's home?" _

Steve had nodded again.

_"I'll bring him by after they release him from Queens. He's a bit banged up, but he wants to see her."_

It was Rachel's turn to nod, before she'd turned and fled the room. Steve hadn't missed that her eyes had welled up, following his answer.

But then he hadn't even made it all the way down the hallway before Grace's bedroom door had burst open and the young girl had barreled towards him, throwing herself into his arms.

_"Uncle … Steve!"_ She'd been already crying.

_"We brought him home, hun. Danno's home. I promise."_

He'd carried her out to the backyard, settling her in his arms when he'd sat upon the top of the picnic table, his feet on the bench. He'd given her a minute, her arms wrapped around his neck, still squeezing the daylights out of him. When she'd stopped hiccupping and pulled back to look at him, he'd beaten her to the question.

_"He's okay. He's got some bruises and cuts, so he doesn't look all that great, but he's gonna be okay, Gracie."_

_"Can I see him?"_

She'd been playing with the collar of his shirt, her gaze flitting up to his, then moving back to watch her fingers.

_"Hey …"_ Steve had gently lifted her chin, waiting until she looked at him. She was still sniffling. _"Yeah, you can see him. Just as soon as …"_

_"Does he know I called you? Did you tell him?"_

He's almost choked, thinking, leave it to Danny's daughter not to question whether he'd heard her message. But when he'd tried to pull her into a hug, she'd locked her elbows and straight armed him. So he'd aborted the move, placing his hands on her forearms instead.

_"No, I haven't told him … not yet, anyway."_

She'd sat up straighter.

_"You can't."_ Her head shook from side to side while she'd fisted his shirt, her eyes boring into his. _"You can't tell him, Uncle Steve. He'll blame himself …"_

_"Grace, he'll figure out that I know about his phone call, all on his own. And it won't take long for him to guess that you'd probably try to call me after. Your dad's a smart guy and you know I'd never lie to him if he asked me. Neither would you. It's better if I just tell him, because he needs to know. I just wanted to come talk to you first."_

They'd stared at each other then, almost as if they were weighing each other's guilt.

_"Look, Gracie. I know I promised I'd bring Danno home. And I did, we all did. But I couldn't get there fast enough to make sure your dad didn't get hurt."_

_"Uncle Steve, but you …"_

_"No, listen, okay? I didn't keep Danno safe like you needed me to … and I didn't keep my promise to your dad. He expected me to be around when you needed me and I wasn't. I let you down, Gracie, and I'm sorry."_

Grace looked down at her lap, again not able to make eye contact with him.

_"He knew he wasn't coming home, didn't he?"_

Steve had needed to take a deep breath with that question. He hadn't been able to talk with Danny about his phone call to Grace yet.

_"I think that's something that Danno needs to answer, Grace. But I do know that your dad always tries his best to make it home to you. Always."_

Grace had lifted her head, meeting his gaze.

_"I was afraid he was saying 'goodbye', Uncle Steve."_

_"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry you went through that on your own, Gracie. I should have been there for you."_

Grace had squished her eyebrows together, squinting at him. A lone tear had trailed down her cheek as she'd wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead against his.

Steve had closed his eyes and held his breath.

_"No, I think you're wrong, Uncle Steve. Danno needed you more."_

H50

"I tried to call Uncle Steve … after you called me."

They were sitting on Grace's bed, facing the windows, ignoring the rest of the world. Their hands were clasped together, his daughter's gaze focused on his thumb, the one that was tracing patterns across the ridges of her knuckles. It'd been a while since either one of them had spoken. They'd already talked about Reyes, about Danny shooting him. He'd answered as many questions as he could, as honestly as he could, figuring out pretty quickly that Grace had already seemed content with the information that his partner had given her. He owed Steve for that, could never repay him for being there to explain what was happening when he couldn't.

So he'd been waiting, making sure his daughter didn't have anything else she wanted to ask him when the softness of her confession made Danny feel as if he'd been sucker punched. His conversation, or lack thereof, with Steve in the truck though, at least made sense now.

"I'm sorry you couldn't get through to him, Monkey."

Danny knew she wouldn't have been able to talk to his partner after he'd called her from prison. Lou had filled him in about the cocaine, Steve and Joe staying behind to get him out, and blackmailing Anderson. Danny had badgered the man incessantly and finally worn him down.

Now though, he was afraid to move, because he might break the spell of Grace's confidence. So he stayed as still as he could and waited again.

"You said goodbye."

Danny barely heard the words because Grace was whispering, but what he had heard made him want to curl up into a little ball and just die.

But he couldn't. Grace's tear streaked face wouldn't let him. He blew out a breath, turned slightly more towards her and hoped the right words would come.

"I wanted you to remember, in case something happened …"

Grace gasped and looked up at him.

He shook his head, his vision blurred and his chest ached. He was saying this all wrong, but he had to keep going, try to fix what he'd broken. So he locked his gaze onto his daughter and tried harder, slowed every word to make sure she understood him.

"I needed to make sure that you _knew_, that you'd _never_ question that your Danno loves you, and that I was going to do _everything_ I could to make it home to you. But if I couldn't, if for some reason I failed, Gracie, I had to make sure that I could tell you … one more time, that I loved you."

Danny's voice had caught and he tried to smile.

"I still love you, Monkey, will always love you and I'll keep reminding you of that. I won't let you forget it or ever doubt it."

A slight smile tugged at his daughter's lips. He pulled her into a hug, ignored the scream of his ribcage as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed for all she was worth. His tears were flowing just as freely as hers now.

"I'm sorry that I scared you, Monkey," he whispered. "I didn't mean to. I'll try not to do that again, okay?"

Grace nodded, burying her face further into the crook of his neck.

"I … I missed you, Danno. I'm glad Uncle Steve brought you home to me."

"Me too, Monkey. I'm glad he did, too."

H50

They'd shown up at his home just about the time Steve had considered calling Rachel. He was worried. He'd been sitting out on one of the Adirondacks, nursing a beer, when he heard her call for him.

"Uncle Steve?"

"Yeah, out here, Gracie," he yelled over his shoulder. He got up, setting his beer on the arm of the chair when both father and daughter walked out onto the lanai and then headed towards him. Grace broke into a run, flinging herself at him. It was a bit like déjà vu, though Steve would take his niece's hugs any day of the week. He'd turned them so he could keep his eye on her father slowly making his way across the lawn. Even from a distance, Danny looked like shit.

"Mom dropped us off. She said I could stay with you and Danno. You don't mind, do you? He's really hurting, Uncle Steve."

Grace was looking at Steve as if begging him to fix this, fix her dad and make him all better. Or maybe that was just Steve's interpretation, his need to hold onto the little girl that thought he could do anything, be her Super SEAL.

"Yeah, I'd love it if you guys stayed. Have you eaten?"

"No, not yet. I think Danno's too tired to really eat anything right now. He can barely keep his eyes open. I had to wake him up when we got here."

"Alright, let's see if we can head him off and get him to lay down inside while I grill us up some dinner. That sound like a plan?"

Grace nodded, untangling herself from his grasp and heading back towards her dad. She'd gently wrapped her arms around her father's waist, stopping him from moving further towards the beach.

"And what trouble are you two cooking up, Monkey?" Danny was smiling down at Grace by the time Steve caught up with her. The love his partner felt for his daughter was unquestionable and out there for all to see.

"Hey, no trouble, we're just figuring out what Gracie and I should make for dinner, that's all."

"You sure you don't mind? I get the feeling Grace just kind of invited us both over for the evening."

"For the night actually. And you know you're both welcome anytime, Danno. But let's get inside so you can lay down, while Miss Gracie here, helps me whip up something to eat." Steve had ruffled Grace's hair.

"Uncle Steeeeve …"

"Ah, see. I knew it. Conspiring to get me out of the way while you two damage some perfectly good steaks or something."

Danny's mouth may have been saying one thing, but Steve could read the relief and the thanks, because it was practically written all over his friend's face. Up close, Steve could see the red rimmed eyes and feel the slight tremor in Danny's body when he placed a hand at his partner's elbow. And Danny was hunching in on himself, unconsciously protecting his ribcage. Jesus, there was no way his partner should even be standing at this point.

Steve exchanged a worried glance with Grace and then nodded, smiling in encouragement to her. There was no way he was going to let these two down again. No way. This he could handle.

"Come on, Danno. Inside. Let's get you settled."

H50

"You erased her message, didn't you, Steven."

They were back on the Adirondacks. Grace had fallen asleep watching a movie, and neither man had been ready to move her to the guest bedroom yet.

"Yeah, Danny, I did. You didn't need to hear it."

"Shouldn't that have been my decision to make, whether I wanted to listen to it or not?"

Steve glanced over at his partner, held his gaze, making sure Danny understood the intent of his answer.

"No, not this time."

And Steve meant it. He'd erase it again, no matter what argument his partner might make to the contrary. Danny—the dad—didn't need to hear the fear of his daughter's voice in that message. The fact that his partner knew about the voice mail at all, meant that they'd already talked about it. Which made sense actually, helped Steve put more of the pieces together as to why his friend had done nothing but push his food around his plate throughout dinner. And why Grace had kept shooting nervous glances at her dad and then Steve. Hearing that message, hearing his young daughter screaming and then sobbing, that would kill Danny. Steve wasn't going to let that happen.

"She's a great kid, Danny. That's all you need to know."

"Yeah, well, certainly not because of ..."

"Don't."

Steve took a swig from his beer trying to gather his thoughts.

"She's a great kid _because_ of you, partner. You're a fantastic father. You've no right think otherwise."

Steve glared at Danny, daring him to contradict what he'd said. To his friend's credit, he only nodded, and looked back towards the lapping waters.

The corners of Steve's mouth turned down when unbidden, the memory of the conversation with Joe outside of Rachel's came to mind. He tried to hide the frown with another pull from his bottle. His next thought was a bit of a non sequitur, but he knew his brother would get it. Danny knew him that well.

"You know, at some point, all kids figure out that their parents aren't perfect, Danno, and they go right on loving them anyway."

Danny was staring at him again. Steve could feel it, though his own gaze never stopped studying the moon bouncing light off the surface of the ocean.

"Doris?"

Steve chuffed at his partner's detective skills, knew he'd been right about the man figuring it out. A smirk graced his lips. Because Danny's declaration just about covered everything that he'd wanted to explain to his partner. Steve rolled his shoulders and sat back, taking another sip from his beer.

"Yeah."

Danny nodded and then tilted the neck of his water bottle towards Steve. The two containers touched, both men now looking out towards the waves.

"Mahalo, Steven."

"Yeah. Right back atcha, Danno. Right back atcha."

**~the end~**


End file.
